As I was growing up, just about all of my friends had brothers and sisters. People would often assume that I was lonely and that I had a sad childhood since I did not have siblings. I have half-siblings, but they are older than me and I never really lived with them or fully experienced having siblings. At times, I wished that I had siblings to play with and grow up with, and then I realized how grateful I am that I did not have any other kids in my house. As I’ve grown older, I have noticed that many of my characteristics that I am proud of came from being an only child. With that said, here is a list of the perks I have experienced being an only child.

You don't have to share.

This is one of the most obvious ones. I never had to yell the words “Mom, she stole my clothes again!” As an only child, I have never had to share my room or clothes and I am totally fine with that. Along with not sharing my space or material belongings, I never had to share my parent's attention. My parents, aside from my dad occasionally having work, never missed any of my volleyball tournaments or school events. Oh, and I also have never had to worry about a brother stealing my food.

You have a close relationship with your parents.

As a result of not having to share my parent’s attention with anyone else, I have always had a close relationship with my parents. My mom is basically my best friend, and I’m thankful I did not have to share that with anyone else.

You're comfortable with adults.

I did not have a lot of kids my age around me to play with, so I would spend a lot of my time talking to adults. I am used to being around people older and with more authority than me, and I have noticed that this has allowed me to have more respect for people in higher positions such as teachers, professors or even a boss at work. This also allowed me to grow up faster and envision adult-like goals when I was younger.

You have a good imagination and creativity.

Like mentioned before, everyone always assumes that since I was an only child, I lived a lonely life, but I never had this problem. When I did not have friends to play with, which was often, I would find something creative to do. I often times drew, painted or colored. I owe all of my creativity to my mom allowing me to buy more art supplies and little art and science kits than any little kid should ever get.

You're good at being alone and self-sufficient.

I appreciate my independence, and as an only child, I learned how to be self-sufficient. I learned how to enjoy my time alone, which is something that many people struggle with. This has helped me significantly in my life, especially in college because you have to spend the majority of your time alone and have to motivate yourself and take care of yourself. Time for reflection and thought, by yourself, is crucial to your mental health and is something other people struggle with once their schedules begin to get busy.

You have no one to be compared to.

I have heard countless stories where my friend’s parents say, “Well, your sister did this, why don’t you do it too?” or my friend’s feel like disappointments because their sibling were 4.0 students, and they aren’t as studious. My parents expected a lot out of me, but I never had to compete to be the “better” child, which allowed me to become competitive and challenge myself on my own.

Your parents had more time to focus on you.

Since my parents didn’t have another child, all of their focus was on me. This caused me to be extremely responsible because if I screwed up, I had no one else to blame it on. Also, thanks to my school's weekly emails, my parents could see every single grade I got. So, I had to maintain good grades, and the drive to be successful was instilled in me.

You have good self-esteem.

The attention and focus I received from my parents definitely boosted my self-esteem. My parents only had to focus on me, and they would make it clear how proud of me they were when I accomplished something, and this was something I strived for. The attention motivated me to want to get good grades and involve myself in organizations so I could impress my parents, and eventually make myself proud too.

You get to choose your siblings.

Although I may not have any siblings that are blood-related, I have been able to choose many “sisters” and “brothers.” I have become so close to my friends that I would consider many of them to be like siblings to me. But the best part is, I got to pick them.

Overall, I am extremely grateful that my parents decided to only have one child. I don't think I would be the same person I am today if I had siblings, even if it did mean being alone a lot or being accused of being spoiled (which may have been a little true). Thank you, Mom and Dad, for investing all of your time into me.